therapy
Photobiomodulation
The clinical name for red light therapy: using specific wavelengths of light to influence cellular function.
Photobiomodulation (PBM) is the technical name for red light therapy. The term covers the use of low-power coherent (laser) or non-coherent (LED) light at wavelengths typically in the red and near-infrared range to produce biological effects in living tissue.
The mechanism is reasonably well-understood: PBM-relevant wavelengths are absorbed by mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase, where they appear to modulate cellular energy production and reduce oxidative stress.
PBM is the term you'll see in scientific literature. "Red light therapy" is the consumer-facing name for the same modality. They are the same thing.
Sources
- [1]Mechanisms and applications of the anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation · AIMS Biophysics · 2017-05-19